Just six days ago, I mentioned that the last time the Giants were in last place in July wasn’t that long ago: 2019. Of course, the situation today is not similar to the situation of that time.
The 2026 Giants were expected to be good—or, at worst, qualify as “decent”—while 2019 was expected to be nearly impossible to watch as a rebuilding mess. At the All-Star break as part of Bruce Bochy’s farewell tour, the team’s 41-48 record was certainly dead last, but also 5.5 games shy of the Wild Card. The team had a 7-3 score. Okay, okay, the mileage differential is -70, but still! Not as disastrous as the current team; and just two weeks later they were 50–50 and 2.5 games away from the Wild Card. You will remember that Farhan Zaidi used this deadline as a combination of selling and buying.
By any means, this is not to say that Farhan Zaidi was a better baseball executive than Buster Posey, but it is interesting to note that after the 2017 and 2018 seasons, he did little to make 2019 better and it was only through planning and decision-making that he was able to get more success out of the lineup. What it feels like there is a big difference between the two front offices. Talent does win on the field, but in the era of helicopter managers, it seems that a light touch or a laissez-faire approach is out of step with the way things are done now.
But if you want a more recent example, consider the Colorado Rockies, who did little to improve their roster in the offseason, but it was only through planning and decision-making that Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes were able to get their roster into even greater success. From 2022 to 2025, the Rockies were the worst hitter in sports with an 81 wRC+ in 648 games. They walked 7.3% of the time and struck out 25% of the time. They were the third worst baseball team in the sport. This year’s 93 wRC+ certainly ranks them 28th, but their walk rate is up (8.3% – 24th) and their strikeout rate is down (22.9% – 21st). They currently rank only seventh worst in base running (the Giants are the worst).
So I think there’s some shade with Buster Posey and Zach Minassian being rookies compared to what Colorado has in their front office this season and even what the Giants had in 2019. That being said, the Giants – as evidenced by what happened in 2021 – did already have some good talent on the roster. But… I guess it was the same with this year’s team. Notably, this more talented squad will likely be remembered alongside some of the worst players in recent memory.
From yesterday’s Giants Post game show on NBC Sports Bay Area:
Either way, the Rockies are likely moving in the right direction, just given the changes in their process. I know that for some this is really stupid to write because just look at their pitchers. But they are racking up about the same win total as the Giants after three consecutive 100+ loss seasons. The Giants may be heading in the right direction because Michael Holmes and Randy Winn are cooking in the farm system. But it’s still a little crazy to think that a Giants fan thinks the team is headed in the right direction. At best, they’re in the Rocky Mountain zone where they’re “probably heading in the right direction,” meaning “maybe we’ll see.” Baseball is hard and nothing is guaranteed. The bettor is likely confident that the Giants’ talent will propel the team ahead of the Rockies in the standings by the end of the year. With the trade deadline approaching, perhaps the talent won’t be the same?
Colorado is 6-33 at Oracle Park to start the 2021 season, and that’s it.
But also, if the comments in the article I wrote about how the Giants have never had four consecutive winless seasons are any indication, then maybe Giants fans don’t care if the team finishes in last place?
WHO: San Francisco Giants (38-54) vs. Colorado Rockies (38-56)
Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, California
When: Thursday at 6:45 pm PT, Friday at 7:15 pm PT, Saturday and Sunday at 1:05 pm PT.
National broadcasts: Nobody
Projected Starters
Thursday: Carson Whisenhunt? (KTV 1-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. Ryan Feltner (RHP 3–2, 4.27 ERA)
Friday: TBD vs. Tanner Gordon (RHP 0-2, 6.95 ERA)
Saturday: TBD vs. Kyle Freeland (LHP 2-7, 7.46 ERA)
Sunday: TBD vs. Michael Lorenzen (RHP 3-9, 6.46 ERA)
Jake McCarthy: It doesn’t matter where he plays them, Jake McCarthy just destroys the Giants. He has a career .856 OPS (52 G, 177 PA) with an impressive .321/.356/.500 triple slash. The 5:1 strikeout to walk ratio means he just throws a lot of pitches and doesn’t miss. At Oracle Park (29 G, 92 PA), it’s .345/.378/.476 (.854). Giants fans may be tired of this guy, but he clearly enjoys facing them head-on. He also has a career year in his age-28 season (.302/.343/.513 with 9 HR and 51 RBI).
Kyle Freeland: The team’s former ace is just 2-7 with a 7.46 ERA (4.95 FIP) this season. He’s 8-9 career with a 4.71 ERA against the Giants (28 starts, 147 IP) and is 2-5 with a 3.63 ERA at Oracle Park. Last season he made 2 starts (12 IP total) and was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
Ezequiel Product: He’s having the worst season of his career, but he’s only 24, so it’s not the end of the world even if the Rockies sign him through 2030. The shortstop has a career .876 OPS against the Giants (39 G, 164 PA), but at Oracle Park (18 G, 76 PA) it’s just .682. He has only 4 hits this month and 2 of them are homers.
Carson Whisenhunt: He most likely starts in the first game of the series. On June 17, he gave up just 2 runs in 5 innings to Atlanta, and the Giants won that game 7–5. I should note that he didn’t get a hit or miss on his fastball in this start.
Fishing position: Since June 1, the Giants’ catchers have hit .197/.259/.290 in 334 PA. That 55 wRC+ ranks 27th in MLB, ahead of the Phillies, White Sox and Yankees. Defensively, they ranked 11th in defensive runs above average.
Heliot Ramos: He’s 11 for 30 since returning from Illinois – keep it up!
The Giants won’t lose any of those four games.